


Yestoday

by Asaku



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angels, Grim Reapers, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Reapers, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-04-21 22:05:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asaku/pseuds/Asaku
Summary: An escort angel (a grim reaper) just got his last task before he could be free from the job. But this Lee Minhyung human just not someone fun as the last task. And an escort angel with code 0606 was very frustrated by it.





	1. The last escort

**Author's Note:**

> So this is some kind of experiment to write in the first person's perspective, pray for me so I can and stay stable for this. Hope you can enjoy~

We, the escort angels are formless—shapeless.

Unlike the other angels who astonishingly beautiful, glimmering, shining in every ways, we are the emptiness, as invisible as thin air, we couldn’t saw any reflection even if we stand there facing the mirror. But in so many ways, we will appear in the most appealing form to the person we will escort. We always change following the human’s desire. That’s why we always welcomed by the dying. And to fit the fact that we only escort  the good ones, we always appear in  good forms. They said a good heart could only produce a good desire and vice versa. We only given a code instead of a name. We are just the escorts, we are just ... the good death.

They said that we were once humans. The bad ones but died in good ways, or ones who never ever had a chance to meet good death. That’s why we didn’t thrown to hell or the reincarnation’s cycle, we become the transculent instead. To learn from the good herted—the shining souls, the proper prayers. To learn how to do the right thing from the right humans. It’s like what so called second chance.

Regularly, we get this list we should learn as humans, things that we failed when we were real humans. So we are ordered to escort humans according to the list, the appropriate humans with certain good traits.

This is my last humans. We don’t know what would happened after we finished our lists. There’s nothing informed, it’s just said that we’ll be freed.

A vague answer.

I’ve learnt few things like; honesty, kindness, cares, tenderness and sinceres. I got them from many humans with those traits repeatedly. This last human must be someone with one of those traits too. I like it the most when I escorted the sincere ones, they made death to be such a peaceful time and I always appear in a really pretty form since they have really thin desire and God is the one who choosed how would I appeared before them, it’ll be good if this one is the sincere too.

This last human on my list is an old one. A guy in his twilight time. A poet. A loner without any relatives. Will die in his sleeps. Alone.

How sad.

Why God wrote a sad ending for this _good_ human?.

\---

The chirping birds, the brisking twigs, the drifted sunlights. It’s a quite trees. A young man in an old fashioned suits sits on an old red bench under the thrid oak tree, a small book in hand and a warm smile painted on.

What a solitude dream.

As an escort, I always come to the human’s dream first, before telling them in reality that they will die in short time. So here I was, in a dream of an old human.

The younger version of the human I will escort was still in his motionless state, drawning himself in those small book. Right now, I am the most desirable one for this man. Bony fingers, high cheek bones, baby-fat cheeks, I could see full pouty red lips and a pair of droppy-doe eyes reflected on the pond I’ve just passed.

_“hi!”_ my voice is abit high but heavy. I appeared as a man?

A tender smile crossed on the man’s face when his bright almond eyes catch my figure.

It’s a bit strange. I thought I would appeared as a delicate girl or such. Well, it’s not the first time.

_“it’s been a long time”_ he formed a tenderness in his voice, gesturing me to sit beside him.

_“hmm.”_

My peresence, my voice, my words, it’s all automatic. All set for this encounter—the first step in escorting process.

_“i’ve been waiting here—always.”_ The  man sounds like an autumn breeze, cold and sad.

_“I’m here now, right? So it’s okay.”_

_“yeah, it’s okay.”_ A pair of brown pupils lost its track, dropped to the abandoned book before a weary smile ease the voice of the man.

_“I wouldn’t go anywhere, I will always be with you! Stop being so mellow~”_ the voice I’m wearing now is full of appeals and dialects, _“I promise!”_

_“ I don’t need anymore promises, Donghyuck ...”_

The dream ended with a familiar longing gaze pierced on me—on this Donghyuck’s eyes.

\---

It was the same person. The one in the dream and this one on the wooden bed, the difference was just the lines of age scratched on his skin, showing the time he’s been fought in this  world. The old body was just blinked and heaved the air, unmoved for long minutes enjoying the tickling sounds of the clock hands and ignoring the unstopable time.

I must admit that was kind of new. Even the patient ones would atleast flinched when I literally appeared before them, but this one human was just stared then smiled. Even after I announced his fast approaching death.

_“so, I’ll die in seven days or so?” the old voice didn’t even loose, calm and composed._

_“yes”_

_“...”_

The pair of brown orbs just starred up to the white ceilings, body stonned. Maybe my words got delayed and need more time to sink in to his old mind.

_“please use the time carefully. Until then I will come again to escort you to heaven.”_

_“are you doing this to everyone?”_ the voice sounded rather excited. The human tilted his head.

_“... informing their, I mean human’s death? Yes.”_

_“are you become an angel?”_ a smile then crossed the decayed face, too bright for the age though.

_“sorry?”_

_“so, you are become a real angel~”_ the old body sat on the white linen mattress, eyes twinkling _“not only inside my head, you are a real angel now? You are angel for everyone.”_

_“well, not everyone, just few good ones”_

_“of course, of course”_ He exclaimed, smiling to himself, nodded.

_“well, then. I’d like to take my leave-“_

_“wait! Please wait!”_  the man rushed.

Somehow it’s a bit strange that I still seemingly allowed to stop and responded to the human. Usually after we uttered our purpose—be it in a form of a foreboding ambiance, a hunch in the human’s heart or a face to face meeting like this one—we just retreated and observe, the human would not be able to made any contact with us until the d-day, but this one just–

_“umm—so... wouldn’t I have to utter my last wishes or something ...  Mr. Angel?”_ I didn’t even find anything funny but this old man just giggled at the end of his own words.

_“you don’t need to. They—your wishes will come to you eventually in many ways. God already written all of it. And if He choose you as a good one, the wishes will granted for sure, I guarantee it. I’ve seen those miracles many times.”_

The man beamed. It was a bit creepy tho.

_“well then, I’ll take my leave. Please use your time wisely. So long, Mr. Lee Minhyung.”_

 

 


	2. Glitter Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're right! My prayers are completely answered!" he said in a vigorous tone even though his nose was still wincing and hand still propped his head "you do not want to ask what I'm asking for god?" he continued still with the voice of happiness.

**_SMILE_**  
A glimmering silver word surfaced on a doff black card on my hand. It's surely out of wont to the proccess. What's the meaning of this?

Sometimes God just-it's either God put too much faith in His employee's ability to analyze everything or maybe, just maybe is too lazy to make the instructure more spesific.

Hence I've been standing here in this almost empty bedroom in an old woodden house door almost 30 minutes without any scenary to look at but an old Lee Minhyung lying on his bed roaming in his dream.  
Smile what ?.

 _"Good morning!"_  To my surprise, I got a morning greet from the one and only living thing in this room.

Why could he still see me? From the reflection of the mirror opposite where I stood, I am still in the form of a man with skin as sweet as honey. My semi-automatic mode worked, a smile broke with a reddish tinge of this plump lip.

Smile.

The old man who had just returned from the oasis of his dreams was like a drunk he grinned , shook his head and closed his eyes again, this time more compulsively as if he denied the real world and forced back into the human gamma phase.

  
Along with a deep breath he opened his big eyes and looked back at me again.

A smile is still painted on my lips, my present form's lips, well, what else can I do? I acted according to what I was told, though confusing and unclear whatever God gave me, but the commandment given to me for today is smiling.

Whatever.

After a few hard flashes that were not good for the aged eyelids, old Lee Minhyung whispered something to the air, too soft for anyone's ears to hear it.

 _"it's really you, and I'm awake from my dreams! and there you are ..."_  with a daze he voiced a clearer statement.

Of course I understand if he thinks of me and our meeting yesterday as a dream. Who would assume a sudden encounter with a loved one who said that you would die within a few days, as a reality? Moreover, if you are a mere man who lives in a remote jungle of isolation who may have lost the interaction with humans long ago.

Lee Minhyung poked his forehead before gripping it firmly, as if his head were weighing many times over the original. Of course, who ordered suddenly jump from the bed like a kungfu master. I do not know if this man forgot that his mortal body had been exposed to atmospheric air for more than seven decades. Or he is just too careless to realize that he is not likely to do common things easily at his age.

 _"You're right! My prayers are completely answered!"_ he said in a vigorous tone even though his nose was still wincing and hand still propped his head _"you do not want to ask what I'm asking for god?"_ he continued still with the voice of happiness.

Actually, no. How could I be curious about such trivial things as a human prayer? although not informed I will know in the end. For a dying person like her, I helped bring their last prayer answers.

But I have not done anything for today, how can his prayer have been granted?

 _“what were your prayer?”_ of course, the semi-auto-mode.

The man beamed, dragging his body toward me with his old velvet slippers.

_"I asked for you! I pray to see you again!"_

Pray for me? Like the door of the wonderland, which occurred in my last case this strangeness for the sake of weirdness. Where are there men who pray to meet again with a reaper?. Maybe this man has been too long alone so that his brain sprained and can not think clearly, or too lonely so that any form of accompany is not a problem.

Perhaps god forgot to slip in baldness, dementia, blurred vision or tooth loss or at least put on things that are common to a man his age, becaus in a speed Lee Minhyung stood in front of me showing off his intact teeth, his eyes full of life, very ironic with the fact that he would die in the near future.

 _"very lucky I did not stop trusting God_." his words are not clear because the smile is still on his lips.

I have learned how to be thankful from my previous list. And maybe that's why I feel so light in my chest and a mimicing smile formed when I see the ultimate happy smile of the human being in front of me.

It was so nice to be wanted.

 _"I pray to see you again, see your smile again -"_ long fingers adorned with wrinkles, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly _"and then when I wake up, I see you here,... smiling"_ The gray-haired man in front of me was grazing his hands shyly, the tip of his ears flushed, his cheeks one shade even more red. What is this? in front of me is like a teenagee who is sickly in love such a stark contrast to his aging body. And what is this warm feeling that begins to gnaw over me?

_"I miss you so much! I miss your smile, Donghyuk."_

Forget about the warm feelings I've been talking about. It's like a cold iron that hit my stomach to regain consciousness.

Of course, of course, who was in his prayer is him. His dearest one. This Donghyuck. Whose eyes were elegantly wistful, whose noses were sharp, whose moles lined his honeyed skin, whose reflection was smiling reflected in the mirror across me.

Yeah, that Donghyuck.

\---

 

Autumn wind was too freezing for september. A gray scarf that was too gray for an afternoon without orange twilight. A set of these images were like a sad painting made with black corals, which makes it monochrome. the only thing that made it awkward was Lee Minhung's bright smile sitting next to me on this old garden bench.

This scene is the same as the dream scene that I entered before but with Lee Minhyung who has weathered.

LISTEN.

A word in silvery ink that glittered back in my memory. I realize how many times when I take a deep breath, it will not change anything written on my black card.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Times heals everything, man said.
> 
> But it seems time doesn’t healed Lee Minhyung in one way and another.

Times heals everything, man said.

But it seems time doesn’t healed Lee Minhyung in one way and another. It is a natural thing, perhaps if the man recalls the time he had once spent as a way of feeling alive, because that there was something happening in his life. But I'm not sure what Lee Minhyung doing is 'reminiscent'. Too much time for that, the stories are too real to be called memories. Since the one who told them is a person in his late 70.

How can a man repeat  decades ...

Like a broken record, the memories of this human are repeated in a loop. Swirling around someone, whose name is always in every lines he told. About time machines with Lee Donghyuck.

Everything he says begins with the sentence; _'do you remember?'_ in a voice full of excitment.

How can I remember? It's not that I want to destroy the euphoria or the pleasure that this old man has or what, forget about remembering things, how would I know about things I've never been through?. My only death is my freshest memory, I can not remember anything older than the time when an angel greeted me in the afterlife gate, how can I remember some mortal’s past? My seniors say that the abolition of memories is part of the punishment for us The Escorts.

But this is not even my memories this is someone called Donghyuck’s memories.

 _"Our quarrel in that summer, what was all that about again? I can not remember it-"_ Lee Minhyung formed a twin crescent with his eyes. _"If I recalled everything now, even the quarrel is a nice thing if it's with you."_ He lifted both corner of his lips, eyes still in the clouds.

_"Sorry to interrupt your journey into the past, but should I remind you? That as you're telling me about a mountain of memories of 'us', I'm not the one who went through it all with you! I'm just an angel who resembles the desire in you, remember? Ain’t I told you that in the first time we met?"_

I should not have flung anything out of my mouth. I should have obeyed the command of my Lord. I should have been programmed, generated with anything written on the black card. There should be no gray clouds that wrestle in my chest whenever he implies happiness over the time he has been through with Donghyuk who **is not me**.

I should not feel guilty when Lee Minhung brown eyes looked at me with a bag full of sadness and a thin curtain of disappointment on his face.

 _"But you're Donghyuck."_ His voice pitched lies mixed with denial.

Ah, this is not about honesty. He is not a honest one.

\---

The day is almost over. The afternoon sun began painting the sky with orange and purple. Humid wind still rolls on earth after the rain accompanies since early morning. Perhaps because of the sky that couldn’t show off the sun for almost an entire day, once the sun emerged behind the gray clouds, it shone more beautiful by adding more aesthetic in each of its glimmer.

It was an afternoon that made artists spend their paints, making anything into their canvases desperately. Perhaps it’s also because of the purplish sky which charmed the old poet, stoned, as if every line of shadows created by the orange rays penetrates every pore of his pale skin, letting himself bathed in golden light.

 _"Today we can not go for a walk."_ He said with a smile that reminded of a spoiled little cat.

 _"Thank you."_ His voice was floating like cotton on the spring wind. Uttering a thank you for the empty gaze of his.

No more babbles about the past again today. Just a good morning greeting and a no-man's murmur.

Holding a pencil and a green notebook, his thin fingers began to move, dancing a trace pattern of words.

 _"I-I made all of this for Donghyuck"_ Lee Minhyung's eyes scoured the pile of colorful notebooks stuffing the shelves under the coffee table in front of him but ended up on the green note on his lap. _"but I never showed them to him."_

This is not a sincerity then.

Lee Minhyung is not a sincere man, he still embraces regrets. In fact this started to make me a little frustrated. Then, what should I do? Shouldn’t this be the time for all his wishes to be answered? Or at least I was told what I should learn from this human by now.

About today, Lee Minhyung does not even look me in the eye, unlike the previous days when he would be blind if those big brown eyes don’t meet this brown orbs I’m wearing (Lee Donghyuck’s eyes).

 _“would he take it all if I handed them over?”_ his voice sounded sad and empty.

_“then why do not you just give it to him?”_

A faint smell of the earth after rain was carried away by the wind smuggled from the sidelines of the wooden wall, making the air in the living room becomes increasingly wistful. Lee Minhyung’s face fell, his eyes no longer looked blank, they were weighed down by sadness, staring at me from the first time today.

 _“I should have realized. No, I realize that you’re not him, not that I mean to deceive myself, but really I still want to hope-“_ Words of denial are more intended for himself. He took the old classic guitar that had been a silent witness for the bluish afternoon. Taking on his brown and frail guitar, he starts stroking the strings as if they are silk threads that spoil his dry fingers. _"I can not convey this to him, Mr. angel."_ he said defeated.

_"Mr. angel, as ironical as it may sounds, but of the many who enjoy these words that I am composing, the sun of all these poems are the only one who can not enjoy it."_

_"Why not?"_

_"not all human prayers can be answered?"_ he raises the tip of the word making the sentence into a question.

_"didn’t I tell you that all your last wishes will come true at this moment, for which I am sent here."_

_"but you yourself said that you are not the answer to my prayers."_ he said in a sly wry grin on the tip of his lips.

Guilt began to creep from my toes and hung on my chest upon watching Lee Minhyung stripped of his confidence to pieces. I did not even make a mistake. I obey all protocols. Implement all the silver words on the black card (though not clear). I'm not even supposed to feel the ugly feelings of humans like irritation or guilt.

Fingers that only wrapped in wrinkled skin began to move, strum a string that had been in touch with them. The melody is sliced thin like a murmur. The overly cheerful tones for the new opaque situation are built on the exchange dialogue.

A long strum of major tones scattered from the guitar in Lee Minhyung’s hands. The tones are foreign yet oddly familiar.

It was smooth, mixed with the last droplets outside the windows, summer like melody. It was yellow and green, daisy and fireflies, laughters and love. So warm, so happy, so in love.

The sound I chanted was very light, piercing through the air, covering every guitar that danced in Lee Minhyung's fingers. The sound that came out of my lips sings a lighter, song about the dreams and the joys of life, about the love that is reciprocated, about the happy ending. A song that I never knew, but very familiar on this lips.

Lee Minhyug's hand stopped touching his guitar. Too sudden to end a melody. My voice, the voice I use, stopped.

The face filled with time lines was pitiful, his lips quivering, his eyes tearing, looking at me as if the world had pushed him long and made me his last shield.

 _"I thought I'll hear your voice again when I find the door of heaven. But no, I heard it even when I’m still alive."_ His voice srunk.

 

\---

When a soul will be separated from its body, they say, all the memories of its life will be flashed in front of their eyes, even memories that have long been forgotten. I can not imagine what it would be like for Lee Minhyung. What will pass before his eyes since all he has been doing is looking at the memories of his life. What will he remember in that moment?.

He lived in the past. It's like no new memories he made after a point in his life.

 _"you will not be able to find it, Lee Donghyuck has long died !."_ Irene one of the goddesses of life answered when I asked for Lee Donghyuck's whereabouts.

Of course I'm too relaxed to assume my last assignment will run smoothly.

Finding a living person and guiding them to meet the prayers' last demands will be easier than having to look for a shapeless in the sea of dead souls.

And of course Lee Minhyung have to love this one that does not exist anymore.

Very silly, loving something you can’t have.

Wait ...

The purpose of this escorting process is to accomplish everything that binds the soul to the world so that they can go to heaven without any burden. If what Lee Minhyung wants is out of the world, is not there something else that tied him to the world ?.

LEARN. The silver word shimmering annoyingli on the black card.

Learn what?

Tomorrow is his last day in the mundane world but there’s not a single clue about what must I learn from this human nor any sign of his final wish. It should be on the second day of the proccess to recieve the purpouse of this session, so I could observe and learn but-

_"aren't you tired?"_

_"hmm?"_ Lee Minhyung walked slowly on the path that had a thousand of his footsteps.

_"loving something you can not love?"_

_"What do you mean?"_ his steps didn't stop, still letting me talk with his hunched back.

_"you love someone who is dead!"_

It was a halt. His hands flinched before squeezing his cane.

A few seconds, just rustling leaves that exist between us.

_"mr angel, do you ever love?"_

_"I- maybe? I do not really know?"_

_"What is love?"_

_"Sorry?"_

_"What do you think is love?"_

_"well, I don't know, maybe something good? since god always spouting something as love and peace-"_

_"it would be nice if love is something as simple as something good."_

No longer in his sojourn, the man in front of me went back still without looking back at me.

 

 _"it would be easy to love if love is as simple as that."_ he said back into the silence.

_“okay, just tell me what this Lee Donghyuck promised you!”_

If it's not about love, then it's definitely about a promise. If it's love then Lee Minhyung should sincerely and renounce his worldliness and surrender to die and meet his love, maybe.

_"Why?"_

I knew it. There are so many people who are strongly bound by a promise.

_“because I don’t know! I don’t Know what was he promised you, I can’t find him either so I couldn’t brought him here to fullfill his promise. That mean I can’t help you to die in peace! And that is trublesome!”_

_“you’re the one who promised it.” Lee Minhyung turned around. Locking his eyes with mine._

_“listen! How many times should I tell you, I’m not human! I’m not that kind of an angel either! I take this form because you desire it! I ...”_

_“why are you so angry?”_

He's right. Why am I so angry ?. I have never been given a form that is set with emotion. Why angry now?

_“oh, come on! You’re my last human! I can’t be free if I couldn’t escort you in your peace state”_

_“my pitiful Donghyuck”_

_“I’M NOT DONGHYUCK!“_

He dragged his legs toward me, rushed. One of his arms raised heavily trying to reach me _“I’m sorry”_ His voice formed a whispher.

 _“I’m sorry that I walked away!”_ it was cold the thin digits that racked back my hair, it was cold those brown orbs that pierced throught my eyes, it was cold the atonal words he told me.

Rule number one; Never ever made any direct physical contact with the mortal nor any of their lingers. Second; Never ever left anything behind be it your bringing or all the human’s lingers.Third; Never ever shed a tear.

To think that I let my guard down and broke the rule in my last duty.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm very careless and cranky in writing, so please understand if some errors are found here and there.  
> All kind of constructive feed backs are very welcome. Thank you so much~


End file.
